Wrench.



No. 867,326. PATENTED OCT. 1, 190"].

G. P. WEIGHEL.

WRENCH.

APPLIUA'I'ION FILED 213.27, 1907.

THE NORRIS isTERs cm, wasmuarolv, n. c.

GEORGE P. WEICHEL, OF LORAIN, OHIO.

WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented, Oct. 1, 1907.

Application filed February 27 1907. Serial No. 359,592-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE P. WEICI-IEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lorain, in the county of Lorain and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wrenches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in wrenches and more particularly to that class or type in which the movable jaw is adapted to be quickly adjusted and automatically locked upon the shank as desired to conform to nuts and bolts of varying sizes.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a generally-improved wrench of this class which will be simple in construction, cheap of manufacture, and efiicient in use.

Another object is to provide locking means located entirely within the handle which may be manipulated by means of the thumb to permit a movement of the sliding jaw without moving the hand upon the handle of the wrench.

With these and other ends in View, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1, is a plan view of the improved wrench, a portion of the handle being broken away for the purpose of clearer illustration of parts. Fig. 2, a longitudinal sectional view taken through line 22, of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, atransverse sectional view taken through line 3-3, of Fig. 2, with the locking-dogs released from the rack-bars. Fig. 4, asimilar view taken through line 44, of Fig. 2. Fig. 5, a detail perspective view of one of the oppositely-disposed ratchet-pawls or dogs for engaging with the slidablymounted rack-bars of the movable jaw.

Similar characters of reference designate like parts throughout all the figures of the drawings.

The improved wrench comprises the usual fixed jaw 1, carried upon the end of a shank 2, the latter being provided at its sides with longitudinally-extending grooves or ways 3, and terminating at its lower or base end in a threaded-bolt 4, provided with a retainingnut 5, for securing the handle portion of the wrench. The handle portion, preferably, comprises two parts 6, and 7, of wood or other suitable and convenient material, surrounding the lower shank portion of the wrench and forming a housing for the adjusting and locking mechanism hereinafter described. The parts 6, and 7, are secured together at the upper end by means of a flanged disk-plate 8, and at the other or base end by means of a sleeve or band-ring 9, countersunk to receive and contain the retaining-nut 5.

The movable jaw 10, may be of the usual construction, and is adapted to be moved upon the shank 2, by means of a pair of oppositely-disposed longitudinallyextending rack-bars 11, slidably-mounted in the Ways or grooves 3, and provided with laterally-extending head-blocks 12, which take into openings intermediate the sleeve portions 10, of the movable jaw 10. The outer faces of the rack-bars 11, are provided with teeth '13, adapted to be engaged and locked in any position desired by means of a pair of oppositely-disposed ratchet-pawls or dogs 14, tiltably-mounted and retained in proper position within laterally-extending pocketopenings 15, by means of fulcrum=bearing-beads 16, formed on the outer faces of said dogs 14, near the upper ends thereof and taking-into recess-bearings 17, of the pocket-openings 15. Depending-arms 18, of the pawls or dogs 14, are arranged to engage the teeth 13, of the rack-bars 11, by means of teeth 19, and, in order to provide means for oscillating or tilting the pawls or dogs 14, whereby the teeth 19, are thrown into and out of engagement with the teeth 13, short arms 20, are formed above the bearing-beads 16, of the pawls or dogs 14, and a cross-bar 21, is mounted intermediate the upper portions of the pawls or dogs 14, and impinges against the inner sides so that when pressed downwardly by means of the thumb-pin or stud 22, the depending-arms 18, are thrown outwardly or laterally away from the outer sides of the rack-bars 11, so that the sliding-jaw 10, may be moved upon the shank 2, to any position desired, after which the rack-bars 11, may be again engaged by releasing the thumb-pin or stud 22, whereby the spring 23, will elevate the impinging cross-bar 21, above the bearing-beads 13, and the contact of the said crossbar with the inner faces of the short arms 20, will tilt the dogs 14, whereby the toothed depending-arms 18, are moved intoengagement with the toothed rack-bars 11, as shown most clearly in Fig. 4, Y

of the drawings. The lower end of the spring 23, rests in a socket-opening 24, of the shank 2, and the upper end thereof takes over a guide-pin or stud 25, beneath the cross-bar 21, whereby to maintain the spring in proper position, and the latter will normally maintain the cross-bar 21, in the position shown in Figs. 1, and 4, of the drawings.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the operation and advantages of my invention will be readily understood.

Having thus described the present or preferred embodiment of my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,-

1. A wrench, comprising a shank carrying a fixed jaw upon its end and provided with oppositely-disposed 1ongitudinaIIy-extending grooves or ways, a movable jaw mounted on said shank, a pair of rack-bars slidablymounted in said grooves or ways and secured to said movable jaw, a handle secured to the lower end of said shank and provided with oppositely-disposed pocket-openings, ratchet-dogs tiltably-monnted in said pocket-open ings and provided with depending arms having teeth adapted to engage said rack-bars, and a spring-resisted cross-bar interposed between said ratchet-dogs and pro vided with an operating-stud whereby said ratchet-dogs may be tilted into and out of engagement with said rack-bars.

2. A wrench, comprising a shank carrying a fixed jaw and provided with oppositely-disposed longitudinally-extending ways, a movable jaw mounted on said shank, a pair of rack-bars slidablymounted in said ways and secured to said movable jaw, a handle secured to said shank and provided with oppositely-disposed pocket-openings, ratchet-dogs mounted in said pocket-openings and provided with depending-arms having teeth adapted to engage said rack-bars, and a springa'esisted cross-bar interposed between said ratchet-dogs and adapted to be moved along the inner faces of said depending-arms whereby the same may be thrown into and out of engagement with said rack-bars 3. In a wrench, an adjusting and locking mechanism, comprising a pair of slidably-mounted longitudinallyextending rack-bars carrying a movable jaw, a handle taking over the lower ends of said rack-bars and provided with oppositely-disposed pocket-openings having recessbearings, ratchet-dogs straddling said rack-bars and provided with fnlcrum-bearing-beads mounted in said recess-bearings, and a spring-resisted cross-bar impinging against the inner sides of said ratchet-dogs and adapted to tilt said ratchet-dogs into and out of engagement with said rack-bars.

4. In a wrench, the combination with a pair of rackbars carrying a movable jaw, and a shank carrying a fixed jaw and a handle taking over the lower ends of said rack-bars; of oppositelydisposed ratchet-dogs tiltablymounted in said handle and straddling said rack-bars and comprising dependinga1'ms provided with teeth for en gaging with the teeth of said rack-bars, fulcrum-bearingbeads formed on the outer faces of said dogs near the upper ends thereof, and short arms formed above said bearing-beads, and a springa-esisted cross-armimpinging against the inner sides of said short arms whereby said depending-arms may be tilted into and out of engagement with said rack-bars.

In a wrench, a movable jaw, a pair of slidablymounted rack-bars, a handle taking over the lower ends thereof and provided with pocket-openings having reee bearings, a pair of ratchet-dogs tiltablvmounted in s: d pocket-openings by means of inlcrnm-bearing-lleads taking into said recessbearings, arms depending from said bearing-beads to the outer sides of said rack-bars and provided with teeth adapted to engage therewith, short arms extending above said bearing-beads, and a spring-r ted cross-arm mounted above said rack-bars and impinging against said short arlns whereby said ratchet-dogs may be moved to engage or release said rack-bars.

G. In a wrench, a pair of rackbars, a movable jaw carried thereby, a handle provided with pocket-tlpenings. a pair of ratchet dogs mounted in said pocket-openings and provided with depending-arms having teeth adapted to engage with the teeth of said rack-bars, short arms extending above said dependlngalrms, and a springa'esisted cross-arm mounted above said rack-bars and impinging against said short arms whereby said ratchet-dogs may be tilted to engage or release said rack-bars.

7. In a wrench, the combination with a shank caru'ng a fixed jaw and provided with longitudinally-extending grooves of a movable jaw mounted on said shank by means of sleeves and provided with openin intermediate s: d sleeves, rackbars slidably'-1nounted in said grooves and provided with laterallyextending hcattbloeks taking into said openings, a handle secured to said shank and provided with a pair of oppositely-disposed ratehet-pawls straddling said rack-bars, and a spring-resisted cross-bar mounted above said rack-bars and interposed between said ratchet-pawls and provided with an operating tnd extending through said handle.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE I. \VEICI IEL.

Witnesses ADAM .I. \VEIKEL, CUSTER SNYDER. 

